False chicory’s taproot is always

Answer choices

1. A

   Too Strong: likely4% picked this

   If two false chicory plants differ in height, then it is likely that the one with the shorter taproot has received less than twice

   This conditional has a Trigger we know very little about. If we have two FC plants that are different heights, would any of these 3 claims be applicable? Claim 1 would. If two FC plants are different heights, then their taproots are of different lengths. Claim 2 would not. We couldn't assume that the taller one has received more rain. Sure "more rain tends to mean taller", but it could also be true that, "the better the soil, the taller it grows" or "the more you sing to it, the taller it grows". Claim 3 would not. This doesn't have anything to do with comparing two FC's that different in height. It only has to do with FC's that are above-average height vs. not above-average height. So this trigger, "two FC's are different in height" would only allow us to derive a must be true that "their taproots are different in length", whereas the outcome of this answer choice's conditional is talking about "likely is received less than twice the average rain". We can't prove that. It's possible that the two FC plants we're comparing are both above-average height and have both received more than twice the average rainfall. Two super tall plants can still differ in height.

   4%
2. B

   Reversed Logic15% picked this

   If a false chicory plant has a longer-than-average taproot, then it is likely to have received more than twice the average rainfall

   We could sign off on the idea that if a false chicory plant has received more than twice the average rainfall, then it will have a longer-than-average taproot. After all, false chicory's that receive that much rain are always above average height, and taproot length is just 1/2 of height. But we can't make this move backwards. After all, getting twice as much rain is only presented as one sufficient cause of above-average height. There might be other things that cause a false chicory plant to be above-average height (e.g. treated with soil fertilizer). Perhaps the majority of tall FC's got that way from fertilizer, not from tons of rain. That would make this conditional false. A longer-than-average taproot more more likely be an indication of fertilizer, not tons of rain.

   15%
3. C

   Too Strong: not possible Negated Logic3% picked this

   It is not possible for a false chicory plant to receive only the average amount of rainfall of the species’ usual habitat

   We were told does get more than ? will be above twice average rain average height This answer is selling an illegal negation of that does not get more ? will not be above than twice average rain average height There might be other ways that FC plants can grow to be above-average height (such as applying fertilizer to their soil). Receiving tons of rainfall was sufficient to make FC plants taller. It wasn't necessary.

   3%
4. D

   Too Strong: must be same4% picked this

   If the plants in one group of false chicory are not taller than those in another group of false chicory, then the two groups

   The contrapositive of this rule says this: two groups of FC one group of FC plants received ? will be taller than non-identical the other group amounts of rainfall Can we derive something that harsh? Any time there's a difference in rainfall there will be a difference in height? No, that's too strong. The 2nd sentence only said that the more rain received, the taller the plant tends to grow. That doesn't guarantee that "more rain = taller". Also, more than one thing can potentially affect growth. You might have one group of FC plants receive more rain, but the other group receives more sunlight and soil nutrients, and thus they end up the same height as each other.

   4%
5. E

   Correct74% picked this

   If a false chicory plant receives greater than twice the average rainfall of the species’ usual habitat, then it will have a longer taproot

   Why this is right

   This is connecting rainfall to length of taproot, as we anticipated, but, unlike (B), the conditional logic matches. The trigger here (receiving lots of rain) matches the trigger in the 3rd claim. The 3rd claim tells us that if an FC receives more than 2x avg rain, it will always be above-average height. Let's say average height is 20 inches, so this FC plant that received all that rain is now 24 inches. The 1st claim tells that the taproot's length is always 1/2 of the plant's height. So an average height FC plant would have a 10 inch taproot and an above-average FC plant would have a 12 inch taproot. So, yes, if that much rain guarantees above-average height, and taproot is always half of height, then that much rain guarantees above-average taproot.

   Skill tested: Must be True · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.

   74%